Duracell teacher
All this spotlight on new pay schemes for teachers, promotional prospects..etc makes me wonder if I can be a Duracell Teacher, you know, the type that can last and last...
A colleague asked me yesterday, "So, how long more can you teach?" after she told me about friends of hers who were thinking of quitting the profession after they had finished their 3-year bond. This was also after an NIE lecturer told us that 1 in 5 teachers quit within the first 5 years of teaching. Now that's something we don't read about in the press releases!
My reply to her is this, "I don't know. I'm happy where I am. I can see a purpose behind the madness. I can still be used by God to do His work in the school. But who knows when the battery will be flat and I'm running on empty?"
Who knows indeed? But for now, I'm as Duracell as I can be.
posted by trisha @ 11:20 PM
12 Comments:
i agree. take one step at a time. i'm sure you have plenty of time to think abt it and have an answer at the end of your three-year bond. :)
Haha,you should then try teaching at the university level. Well the students are more mature, well most are that is, but at least you dont have to wipe their noses yah?
remember to take necessary breaks from work where hols are.
all hell breaks loose tomorrow. brace yourself hor. oh yes, panadol always helps. and coffee. :) [anonymousnoises]
Well...drum on little duracell bunny.
u may noticed i've been quiet for a while. Yr post reminds me that when the madness is over at my end of the galaxy, i shd stick my fingers into the socket -to recharge my batteries or end it all.
I don't know if the new trs quit so quickly. Do they in your schools? The ones in mine don't.
Hold on to your sense of purpose. I find that on down days it is good to remember why I chose this job above others. I guess no job is perfect. And don't worry when the battery may run out. Your sense of purpose seems strong and you have a heart for your kids. So why should it? In my school, there are two teachers whom the rest of us marvel at. so much energy. so many ideas. doing so much for the kids. And they are 55 and 64! And their reasons for teaching is similar to yours. So take heart and hang in there!
Teachers are expected to be rechargable these days :p
Germs: welcome back! I imagine you may need some recharging after your long silence. Everything OK?
Anonymous (@12:43pm):
In my school the young teachers are quite motivated. None has quit after their bond so far. Oh except one, but that's because his dad's filthy rich and could afford to buy off the bond.
Anonymous (@1:00pm):
Oh yes, I see some senior teachers here who are still very inspirational! Still, when I talk to them, I hear them talk about the good old days when teaching is more meaningful and not so numbers-driven. The good thing is, they haven;t lost the passion for teaching, in spite of everything. So that's an attitude worth emulating.
I'm a marketing professional experiencing mid-life crisis at the moment. I broached the idea of becoming a teacher the other day to a friend and he gave me your url. He was hoping to show me that life is not a bed of roses being a teacher. Which job is?
Your thoughts and encounters made me laugh, but they gave me a realistic picture of what I'll be getting into if I choose to walk this path. Thank you. : )
Swearnot
Many teachers have applied for secondment to the MOE HQ or elsewhere to be school counselors or other deskjobs, just to avoid the extremely stressful classroom teaching. They are just too glad to trade the almost three-month long school holidays for a 21- to 27-day annual leave!
it's always such a privilege to see God's purpose in our work, isn't it? i guess that's what keeps people going.
oh and anyway, 50% of us lawyers quit within our first five years of work. well, not surprising haha.
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